On a Mississippi River morning, a long-haul tanker that had lost its steering drifted into a cruise boat tied up at the New Orleans waterfront, and in the seconds that followed a whole ship's worth of ordinary life, from a horn's warning to a life vest's buckle, became a lesson in how fragile the systems we trust can be. Nearly two hundred people survived what could have been a catastrophe, thanks to a crew that moved fast and to strangers and officers who plunged into muddy water to pull them out. Now the question of why the steering failed is passing into the hands of investigators, while th
New Orleans Port Sues to Seize Tanker That Crashed Into Cruise Ship on the Mississippi
32 people were taken to hospitals after the cruise boat rolled into the river, with eight still hospitalized the next day; none of the injuries were critical.
"They taught us not to drown."
Mark
Why did the port sue so quickly, within hours of the crash?
Mimi
The suit is meant to make sure federal investigators can take control of the tanker. A judge issued a warrant Friday giving them control for now, and the port also says the terminal took at least $1 million in damage.
Mark
And the life vests seem central to why everyone survived.
Mimi
Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll thinks so. Passengers were already wearing vests when the boat rolled, so they could float while rescuers reached them. About 100 people ended up in the water.
Luke
Worth noting that's her assessment, though. Nobody has produced a count of lives saved, and she said it probably saved a number of them.
Mark
Fair. What do we know about why the tanker hit the ship?
Mimi
Only that it appeared to lose steering. Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said the exact cause isn't known, and the NTSB is sending investigators.
Luke
So anything beyond loss of steering would be speculation. Even that is described as an appearance.
Mark
The ownership is part of the story too, isn't it?
Mimi
Nave Shipping, registered in Liberia, owns the vessel according to the International Maritime Organization. MarineTraffic says it's a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp., which didn't respond to a request for comment.
Luke
And the subsidiary link comes from one tracking service. The ownership says nothing about cause, which remains unknown.
Mark
What happens next?
Mimi
Fuel removal comes first, 16,000 gallons, then moving the boat, which may take weeks. River traffic should resume sooner.
Il Polso
- A tanker that lost steering bore down on the docked American Heritage, sounding its horn as the cruise boat stood helpless in its path.
- On impact the cruise ship began to lean at once, and before passengers could be fully evacuated it rolled onto its side and dumped roughly a hundred people into the 66-degree Mississippi.
- Tugboat crews, other cruise captains, workers and police raced into the muddy current, and two officers were among the 32 people sent to hospitals.
- The port filed suit within hours to let federal investigators seize the tanker, which has already caused at least $1 million in terminal damage, while the NTSB probes the still-unexplained cause.
- The cruise boat sits on its side against the terminal and may take weeks to move once its 16,000 gallons of fuel are safely removed, and river traffic is expected to resume soon.
On a Mississippi River morning, a long-haul tanker that had lost its steering drifted into a cruise boat tied up at the New Orleans waterfront, and in the seconds that followed a whole ship's worth of ordinary life, from a horn's warning to a life vest's buckle, became a lesson in how fragile the systems we trust can be. Nearly two hundred people survived what could have been a catastrophe, thanks to a crew that moved fast and to strangers and officers who plunged into muddy water to pull them out. Now the question of why the steering failed is passing into the hands of investigators, while the port turns to the courts to hold the vessel and its owners to account for the damage to its terminal.
The first warning aboard the American Heritage was a horn. Passenger Joe Knab told WDSU-TV that the tanker drifting toward the docked cruise boat sounded it several times, and then the impact came, hard, and the ship began to lean almost immediately.
The crew gathered passengers on the third deck, fitted them with life vests, and started moving them toward shore. Before that finished, the boat rolled onto its side. Knab and about a hundred others were thrown into the muddy river. Tugboat operators, captains of other cruise ships, nearby workers and police rushed in to pull them out.
All 197 people aboard the cruise boat survived, as did the tanker's crew. Thirty-two people went to hospitals, including two police officers, and none of the injuries were critical. Knab, still in his mud-caked jeans, estimated he spent about fifteen minutes in the water. His years in the Navy, he said, had taught him not to drown. New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll credited the life vests with saving many lives, because people who could float were able to wait for rescue.
Within hours, the Port of New Orleans sued the tanker's owner, seeking to let federal investigators seize the vessel after it caused at least $1 million in damage to the port's terminal. A judge issued a warrant giving federal officials control of the ship for now. The tanker, a 520-foot asphalt carrier flying the Marshall Islands flag, is linked through its owners to China State Shipbuilding Corp., which did not respond to a request for comment.
Coast Guard officials said the tanker appeared to lose steering, though the cause remains unknown. The NTSB is sending investigators. The cruise boat still lies on its side, and removing its fuel comes first before any attempt to move it, a process that could take weeks. River traffic is limited but expected to reopen soon in both directions.
The first warning aboard the American Heritage was a horn. Passenger Joe Knab told WDSU-TV that the tanker bearing down on the docked river cruise boat sounded it several times as it drifted toward them. Then came the impact, which he described as hard, and the ship began to lean almost at once.
The crew gathered passengers on the third deck, had them put on life vests, and began moving them toward shore. Before that was finished, the boat rolled onto its side. Knab and about 100 other passengers and crew were thrown into the muddy, 66-degree water of the Mississippi. Tugboat operators, captains of other cruise ships, nearby workers and police rushed in to pull them out.
All 197 people aboard the American Heritage survived, as did the crew of the tanker. Officials said 32 people went to the hospital, among them two police officers who were thrown into the river when the boat rolled. None of the injuries were critical, though eight people were still hospitalized on Saturday. The American Heritage had been finishing an eight-day cruise to several Mississippi River destinations.
Knab, still in the mud-caked jeans he had worn on the boat, said he thinks he spent about 15 minutes in the water. He said he kept bobbing under and thought he was drowning, and added that the river doesn't taste good. His 20 years in the Navy probably helped, he said: "They taught us not to drown." He was wearing a shirt from the Hilton where passengers were taken, since the rest of his belongings were in the river. Somehow his phone still worked. He hoped to fly home to Wichita, Kan., though he was unsure whether Friday's nationwide ground stop would complicate that.
New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll credited the life vests. Having passengers put them on while they waited to leave the boat, she said, probably saved a number of lives when it turned over. Whether the water is 10 feet or 200 feet deep, she said, having people in vests who could float upriver while rescuers retrieved them was the best factor in the outcome.
Within hours of the crash, the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans filed suit against the owner of the tanker, the Atlantic Asphalt, aiming to make sure federal investigators can seize it. The suit says the tanker caused at least $1 million in damage to the port's terminal. A judge issued a warrant Friday giving federal officials control of the ship for now.
The Atlantic Asphalt is a 520-foot vessel that carries large quantities of asphalt and bitumen, a semi-solid material used in road construction and roofing, according to MarineTraffic. It was bound for New Orleans and sailing under a Marshall Islands flag. The International Maritime Organization lists its owner as Nave Shipping, registered in Monrovia, Liberia, which was a defendant in the suit. MarineTraffic identifies Nave as a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp., a sprawling Chinese state-owned conglomerate. The corporation did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said the tanker appeared to lose steering, but the exact cause is not known. The National Transportation Safety Board is sending investigators to New Orleans. The tanker has been towed from the site. The cruise boat still lies on its side against the terminal, and moving it could take weeks. The first task is removing the 16,000 gallons of fuel aboard safely. River traffic has been limited, but Burnham said vessels should soon be able to travel both upstream and downstream.
Citazioni salienti
Having passengers wear life vests and float upriver while rescuers retrieved them was the best factor of success.— New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll
They taught us not to drown.— Joe Knab, passenger and Navy veteran
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su Los Angeles Times ↗